


Lab Accident

by orphan_account



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M, Not Epilogue Compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-03
Updated: 2014-07-13
Packaged: 2018-02-07 07:14:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 17,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1889802
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Working together, one is terrible at flirting and the other is oblivious. Then there's a little lab accident.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. one

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure where I'm going, but I'm trying to take my time with this and not just slam something together in a day or jump to a conclusion. Any comments are appreciated because I'm still writing and always love input.

This day was a disaster.  Or, maybe the month.  Probably the entire year.

Hermione was trying to remain positive, plugging along and keeping her chin up, but it was all just getting to be too much. One thing after another kept going wrong for her.  Small things, like a broken heel on her shoe, but also big things, things she really didn’t want to think about right now.

Draco Malfoy had dropped by during her lab time, again. He did this more often than not, leaning casually on things and making random comments. She knew better than to let herself fall into conversation with him even as he asked her about restaurants she liked or art openings or the new series of evening lectures at Flourish & Blotts. She was sure he was just waiting for a chance to put her down, ‘ _yes, I still like books and have no social life, it’s so very funny, point to you for catching that,’_ she thought.  But it was getting awfully hard to concentrate on keeping her guard up and on what she was doing.

Suddenly, the potion she had been working on erupted into a steaming volcano.

Erupted all over Draco Malfoy and his perfectly tailored suit.

Without even stopping to think Hermione shoved him into the emergency shower cubicle and pulled the chain for the water. As water rained down over them she started pulling his clothes off, his wet tie, his jacket, she was ripping open his shirt and running her hands over his neck and into his hair. She had to be sure none of the potion sat on his skin.

Draco had no idea what was happening, a potion had just blown up onto his new jacket, and then Granger shoved him into an emergency shower.  As he sputtered under the water he found she was undressing him, like a wild woman, it was brilliant, her hands were all over and she was tearing his clothes off. He had dreamed of what she might be like in bed but in person her passion was exhilarating. He thought he had never gotten this hard so quickly in his life, cold water be damned. He was smiling as he brought his hands up to her shoulders.

She was soaked as well; as he started to push her wet robes off of her shoulders she said, “Don’t worry, none of it got onto me.” And stepped back out of the water, removing her wet robe and working on spelling it dry.

_What? Got onto . . . ?_ And he realized she had just been worried about the potion.  _Bugger_.

Draco stood, soaking wet, shirtless, and dejected as the water slowed to a drip.

Hermione turned back to apologize for the potion accident and to tell him she would help him dry his clothes  . . .

She stood there frozen, robe in one hand and wand in the other, and gaped at him.  She took in his smooth skin, muscled shoulders and chest, perfect ridges of his abs, and that v of muscle going down to his . . . very tented trousers.


	2. two

Staring, she was definitely staring, knew she was staring and couldn’t seem to stop. He was wet, water dripping down his perfect body, all lean muscles and ridges, obviously turned on despite the cool water, _Merlin does it look like he’s endowed_ , . . . and then she saw it.

A bucket of cold water would have done nothing to negate how aroused she was by the sight of him, but the dark mark, that permanent reminder that he hated her, that did it.  _Right, professional and polite, just as you would with any other employee_ , she reminded herself of the mantra she used when they first started in the department.

He followed her gaze when she suddenly froze. He actually looked down at his own arm as if he had forgotten it was there.  The mark had faded to grey and it never hurt anymore; he had thought of 100 different scenarios where she might see it, how he would handle it, all the possible conversations he should have with her before hand, this had definitely not been one of those scenarios.  The look on her face was one he hoped not to see. The impenetrable mask he remembered from when they first started working at the Ministry, the mask from the first time they had seen each other after the final battle, fell firmly into place. That was exactly what he feared would happen.

“Sorry.”  He covered it with the hand from his opposite arm and turned to start trying to find his wand among the sopping pile of clothing behind him. 

The sound of her horrified gasp made him turn back.

Her eyes were round, and her mouth open in shock, “your back…” she trailed off into silence.

“Right, yeah.”  _Just brilliant Malfoy,_ her berated himself, _destroy her work, try to molest the girl, stand there like a bloody pillock and make sure she notices your inappropriate hard-on, remind her you were a fucking death eater, and then let her see your crazy aunt’s handiwork.  Fucking fantastic, ought to write a book on how to get women._

He turned again to grab for his clothes but stopped as she walked around him, to the side with the scar.  The word ‘LIAR’ was carved into Draco Malfoy’s leanly muscled back in large shaky letters grown into red scars. It was the same writing Hermione saw every day on her own arm.  Draco froze, he didn’t think about the scar as much because he had always worried about the dark mark so much more. Hermione reached out very slowly and touched the letters with trembling fingers. 

“It’s just like mine,” she held out her arm from where she stood half behind him.  He could see the letters clearly through the wet sleeve of her white blouse.

“I thought it might be,” he remembered, he tried never to think about it but he still had nightmares of her screaming on the floor. He really didn’t want to talk about that day and how he was punished for hours after they escaped while his Mother was locked out of the room as she wailed and pleaded and pounded at the door. 

His brain finally clicked back in as he rolled his eyes to the ceiling.  _Put shirt on, get out of lab, drink entire bottle of whiskey, and don’t think about her.  Right, yes, outstanding plan_.

“I have nightmares about getting mine,” she said softly.

 _Fuck_.

“Hermione, I’m sorry. I should have told you that a long time ago. I was scared to say it, thought bringing it up would be worse for you.  I didn’t want to make it any worse.”

“Thank you,” she said, voice still hushed. As he looked down at her she thought she had never seen him so vulnerable. It made her finally ask the question she had long wondered about.  “Did you mean it? When you got the, umm.” She lifted his hand and nodded towards his forearm.

“They . . . He would have killed my Mother.” If they hadn’t been standing so close she wouldn’t have heard him.  “I didn’t want it, but I had to-“

“I understand.” She said as she looked up at him with her lovely warm brown eyes.  He knew she understood.  Knew what she had done to protect her own parents.  She was probably the only person who could comprehend what he had gone through in taking the mark.

He had probably been half in love with her since she punched him in the nose, and he had definitely fallen as they started working in the same division and he saw every day how intelligent and creative and funny she is.  But the moment he felt in his heart that he was fully and irreversibly in love with her was when she looked into his eyes and he saw her compassion.  He had only ever known selfless affection from his Mother, and he wondered if that was why he was drawn to Hermione and her generous heart. To know that she could have empathy for him, the boy who tormented her through school and then branded his body with this hateful mark, he felt it in his soul.

“I love you,”  . . . _that was out loud. THAT WAS OUT LOUD!_

And by the sudden look of utter shock on her face she heard. 

 “you love me?” Her voice was a tiny whisper.

_BOLLOCKS._

The look of shock on her face was not what a man hopes to see when he says those words. He turned and started looking for his clothes. “Didn’t really mean to tell you just then, or well, ever probably.”

“You love me.”  She said again, louder than the last time.

“Showing up every chance I get to chat you up didn’t give me away then?”  He tried to be casually self-deprecating, failing miserably.

“You were chatting me up????” much louder this time.

“Not very well it seems.” He muttered as he picked his shirt out of a puddle.

“This is why you’re everywhere?  Showing up when I have lab time scheduled, or when I come out for drinks with the group from school?” She looked distracted as she said it, her brain working so hard he could practically hear it. “I thought you were looking to make fun of me.” 

He tried to keep his face averted as he lifted his dripping jacket and finally retrieved his wand.  _Best go back to that plan with the whiskey.  Excellent plan that._ “I wouldn’t . . . I should, we don’t need to talk about it . . . just, wet clothes you know, so I’ll ummm. Night then, Granger.”

She was still standing there considering the situation as a problem she could make some sense of if she thought about it enough. He pulled on his wet shirt and walked out, leaving a trail of water behind him as he went for the nearest floo.

 


	3. three

Hermione was still stunned when she arrived home hours later.  She was confused the following day and moved on to guilty the day after that when she realized Malfoy was avoiding her.  Though, potentially not avoiding as much as he stopped making flimsy excuses to see her. She was sure he was in the building working, but she never actually saw him.  He didn’t interrupt her lunch, or run in to her when she went for a snack or tea, or went to the library, he didn’t bother her during her lab slot. She was starting to grasp how well he knew her schedule and how much effort he had been putting in to seeing her.

She also couldn’t stop thinking about how he looked as he stood there wet and shirtless.  The water had washed all of the silly products he used out of his silky hair. She knew it was silky too, she had run her hands through it to be sure none of her potion was touching him. His hair stood out in messy waves from her hands and drops of water fell from a few ends onto strong shoulders and ran the hard planes of his body.  She also recalled his smile under the water as she pushed his clothes off and he had moved to do the same for her.  She had never seen him smile like that before.  She knew he was handsome just as she knew he was blonde, but every time she remembered that smile she found herself smiling as well, like she had a wonderful secret.  That smile told her there was a Draco Malfoy she didn’t really know.

Her guilt finally became too heavy and she decided after 10 days of not seeing him that she had to do something.  She had spent hours developing a plan that she was sure would allow her to fix everything.  A wonderful, well researched plan.

It all went to shit the moment she stepped off the lift.

There, no more than five feet in front of her, was the big problem she had been trying not to think about.  Ronald Bilius Weasley, her ex-sortof-boyfriend and possibly current friend was standing right there, after not answering any attempt she made to contact him for weeks. And he’s just caught sight of her. Unbelievable.

 _He looks like he’s just seen a spider.  Best to face this head on, no other choice now,_  “Good morning, Ron.”

“Umm, ‘Mione, yeah, hi.” He flushed red as a beet. That is never a good sign.

From down the corridor her she heard Harry calling, “Hermione! You came! See Ron, I knew it would be fine.“

She turned to look at Harry as he reached them and his face immediately fell, _never could hide anything from Harry._ “You didn’t talk to her” he said to Ron before turning back to face Hermione, “He didn’t talk to you.” And then back to face Ron, “You said you talked to her.”

“Well see, I said I WOULD talk to her, so umm. We’re talking now, right?”

Harry took her elbow and steered them slightly away, turning his body to block her from Ron for a moment as he whispered, “Chin up, here’s the deal, they’re getting married, ceremony this weekend, we’re here to get the paperwork in then there’ll be food at the Burrow.  She’ll be coming out of the clerk’s office any moment.”

“Married?” her voice shook.

“They have to . . . understand?”

She nodded only once.  He gave her arm a squeeze but before he could let go she grabbed onto his robe, “Harry?  How far along?”

He looked ashamed even though he wasn’t the one that had done anything. “A few weeks past five months.”  She nodded again and he leaned in, “You can do this. You’re the strongest woman I know.”

Just as he said the last word she heard her name again from down the hall, “Hermione! I knew you would come!” And Ginny raced towards them, long red hair waving behind her as she ran to envelope Hermione in a crushing hug.  _How can one tiny girl exert so much force?_ She let Ginny squeeze the life out of her as she peaked over the redhead’s shoulder to see Molly and Arthur approaching, and behind them an obviously pregnant Lavender Brown exiting the clerk’s office with what must be her parents.

Ginny felt Hermione tense and figured out quickly (not for the first time) that her brother was a prat.  She pulled back to look at Hermione’s face, she didn’t know exactly what had happened, but she could see enough.   If there was one thing Ginny was it was an excellent friend, “Oh no! Hermione, I’m so sorry to hear that!” she said loudly. “Harry, did you hear, Hermione has that meeting, they couldn’t reschedule and she won’t be able to make brunch.”

“Oh, Hermione dear it was so lovely of you to take the time away to celebrate with us this morning.” Molly said as she moved to replace Ginny and give Hermione a kiss on the cheek as the group came together in the corridor.

Lavender wasn’t quite looking Hermione in the eye, focusing either up or to the side of her head.  _So, you knew about me and I didn’t know about you.  Fucking brilliant._ Hermione’s eyes narrowed.

“Pffft, of course, a meeting, can’t be helped I’m sure.” Lavender said the word 'meeting' as if it were one of Luna’s invisible creatures.

Hermione knew there was no way she could deceive them, she was trying to think of the right words to confess that she had never been invited in the first place without babbling on rudely and embarrassing everyone. She swallowed sadly and was opening her mouth when she saw a shock of white-blonde hair from the corner of her eye and felt a strong hand on her arm, “There you are, Granger. It’s all been moved to the conference room on three.  We should go over that last clause one more time on the way over, I think.”

Draco greeted everyone and immediately went to work charming Molly and Mrs. Brown.  Hermione looked over at Ron, catching his eye for only a second before he looked at the floor.  _So that’s that_. She looked to her other side, up into silver-grey eyes, and nodded. “Well then, we’ll be off.”

“Congratulations, Ron, Lavender.” Hermione nodded in Ron’s direction before giving Lavender a light hug, feeling the bump of Lavender’s pregnant belly as she did.

Draco started talking about work as he walked her away from the group, as if there really were a meeting.  He was so convincing Hermione found herself wondering if she could have possibly forgotten about a project.  Then, as the lift doors closed behind them he stopped, gently dropping her elbow and moving a step away.

They rode in silence until she said “How did you . . . ?”

“Slytherin.” He smirked halfheartedly, before turning his gaze back to the lift doors.

“Thank you.” She said quietly.  “I was on my way to talk to you and they were just there when I stepped off the lift.”

“There’s no need.” He said firmly.  _Really do not want to have the ‘sorry you love me when I still think of you as a spoiled hateful git but I’m Hermione Granger so let’s just be friends’ conversation,_ he thought.

“I had a plan. I was going to fix-“

“Course you had a plan, Granger.” He couldn’t help but smile at that part.

“It was a sound plan.”

One tiny sound escaped him.

“I’m serious.”

A guffaw escaped this time before he could compose himself.  He didn’t mean to, but she was so adorable as she pouted and defended her undoubtedly bloody awful plan.  She looked over to see him, he was nearly in tears as he tried to hold in his laughter and she couldn’t help but join him.  At that moment it was either laugh or cry, and she refused to shed another tear over Ron Weasley.

As the lift stopped she realized he had taken them up to a seldom-used street exit.  “Wasn’t sure if you’d want to skive off work.”

“I’ve never skived off of anything in my life.” She looked slightly scandalized at the very idea, but the wheels in her head were turning.

He held the doors open, “Well, if there were ever a day to start-“

“Would you like to have a drink with me?” she interrupted.

“What, you mean now?”  Suddenly he was the one looking scandalized.

“I don’t do things by halves, Malfoy.” She gave him the flirtiest smile she could muster and started backing out of the lift.

“Indeed you do not.”  He said as he followed.

 


	4. four

Draco took her to a very chic little restaurant nearby which served tiny breakfast dishes and poured very heavy drinks. By the middle of their second round drinks in the middle of the morning seemed like a fantastic idea.  As their third round was served they got into a very intense argument about one particular footnote in Hogwarts, A History.

“Yes it does”

“I ASSURE you, Granger, it does not.”

“And I ASSURE you, Malfoy, that it DOES.”

Before they could order a fifth round they were asked to leave.  Draco insisted they floo to the manor because his Mother had collected every edition of the book. At that, Hermione looked at him like he was the most wonderful person to ever exist.

They stumbled through the library floo, holding each other upright, “You will be soooo sorry to have ever doubted me, Malfoy.”

“I would wager it will be you who is sorry to have doubted me.”

“Wager!  YES, we must make a wager!”

“Excellent thinking!  If I’m right, and I am, you must say publicly, ‘Draco Malfoy is the greatest, most impressive wizard I have ever known.’”

She laughed at him, nearly doubled over, “And if I'm right, you take your shirt off.”

“Granger, you naughty little minx!  Always knew you were full of fire.” He slapped her on the behind before they made their way across the library, Hermione dramatically covering her bum with both hands so he couldn’t do it again.

They each took an edition, found the footnote and simultaneously yelled “AHA!” Each grabbed another edition, found the footnote and groaned.  “best of 12?” he said and she nodded resolutely as they checked the other editions. Out of 12 editions he was correct 3 times to her 9, so even if the original handwritten copy supported him she would still win.

Grinning in victory Hermione reached for him, “You owe me a shirt,” and she pulled him forward by his tie.  She started pulling it free, pushing off his jacket, once again as untamed in disrobing him as she had been in the shower. He smiled, her tiny nimble fingers felt amazing as she pushed his shirt off and trailed her hands through his hair and over his chest.  He was laughing as he reached one hand to her face and wrapped the other around her as he pulled her in for a passionate kiss.  He cradled her cheek as he kissed her, his large thumb caressing the silky skin over her cheekbone.

She tugged and he followed as she backed up to the wall.  Slowly, he unbuttoned her blouse and pushed it off of her shoulders then moved his hands to the zipper of her skirt.  She had his belt open and his trousers unfastened, she was pushing the fabric down his hips as her skirt fell to the floor. He finally broke their kiss with a gasp when she started to fondle him through the front of his pants.  She pushed his boxers down and wrapped her small hand around his thick cock, “Oh Fuck, Hermione.”  He braced his hands on the wall on either side of her for a moment and watched her hand as she pumped him, letting his hips jerk.  “Mmmmmm, you really are awfully impressive,” she murmured as she kissed his jaw and teased the head with little swipes of her thumb.

He felt impossibly hard and absolutely overjoyed at her statement.  He moved one hand to touch her and pushed her knickers until they fell low enough that she could kick them away.  He moved the hand between her legs to tease her, feeling her so warm and wet.  They worked together to remove her bra, his hand moving over her breasts as hers continued on his cock, the other playing over the ridges of his abs before moving to grab his ass.  She was naked and fearless and wanton and perfect. His long fingers played over her clit until she was arching up and trying to ride his hand.

He lifted her leg, lining up, moving his large hands to her bum to hold her in place as she balanced on her toes and wrapped her other leg around his thigh.  He looked into her eyes as he finally made his way slowly inside of her, he smiled as her face twisted in pleasure and her mouth fell open, his smile widening as he pulled slowly back and then thrust in again.  He started slow, moving in repeatedly to kiss her, then moving faster and faster, overwhelmed by the feeling of her dripping wet and so tight around him, “Oh, fuck, oh Hermione, fuck, so fucking hot, watching you bounce for me, yes, beautiful Hermione.”  He couldn’t believe this was happening, couldn’t stem the string of words falling from his mouth. 

She was moaning, gasping as he pushed deep and ground his pelvis up against her clit, her eyes were closed as he watched her. His expression was utterly free and jubilant as he made love to her.  She was more intoxicating than he had even imagined; her skin was flushed pink, her hair wild, her round breasts bouncing, perfect hard nipples, he groaned and lifted her just slightly with the hands on her ass, pushing harder, grinding more. “I’ve got you, I’ve got you, let go, don’t worry, got you, Hermione, love.”

Her gasps got louder and louder until she came with one long low scream as she clutched his shoulders and her nails dug in. He drew out the aftershocks racing through her sensitive body as he continued to move, thrusting a half dozen more times before his orgasm consumed him and he came buried deep inside of her. He only realized moments later, as he came down, that he had yelled “Oh fuck, Hermione, my love, Hermione, Love You, love you, Yes!” when he came.

They stood frozen, still joined, with his forehead resting against her hers.  Draco had just had the moment he’d dreamt of, finally touching and kissing and fucking the one woman he had ever been in love with. It should have been perfect. He very gently shifted his hips, moving out of her, letting her lower her legs and find her footing. He moved his hands up her back and wrapped his arms around her, just wanting to hold her, just once.  He could smell her perfume as he gently nuzzled her soft hair, he breathed deeply, wanting to memorize this moment.

 


	5. five

He held her until her shoulders shook and a sob sounded against his naked chest.  He squeezed his eyes shut as he moved his hands to her shoulders and moved an arms length back, his heart threatening to break.

“You’re amazing” was not what he expected to hear, nor did he expect a very naked Hermione to throw herself against him. Caught off balance, he toppled backwards behind one of the long sofas just as the library doors opened.

“I am telling you, dear, I heard yelling” he heard his Mother’s voice.

“And I am telling you, dear, that no one can get through the wards,” his father’s voice answered from much closer.

“Shit” Draco said.  Hermione looked down at him with wide brown eyes. “Umm, one moment.” He shifted her off of him and moved to his knees.

His head popped up from behind the sofa, “Um, Father, hello.” Lucius pocketed his wand as he turned toward his son’s voice, “Narcissa, it’s just Draco” he called towards the hall. “Draco, have you had a fight?”

“Is he hurt?” His Mother was rushing through the doorway when his Father put one hand up to halt her.  He could see his son’s rumpled blonde hair and bare shoulders, including some telling red nail marks.

“Um, not a fight, no. I um, I have a guest at the moment, actually.”

His Father gave a great, put-upon sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You brought a girl home at 11:30 in the morning on a Wednesday?”

“What’s going on?” His mother said as she stepped further into the room.

“Our son is naked behind the sofa with a young lady.” Lucius said, without looking up.

“He’s what?  It’s 11:30 in the morning.”

Draco started laughing.

“Are you drunk??” His father asked, making him laugh harder. 

“Only slightly, I, we were arguing about a book and I had to show Hermione-“

“Hermione?” His parents said simultaneously.

His Mother continued, “Draco darling, are you saying you have Miss Granger with you behind the sofa?” 

He looked down at her; she didn’t look at all scared, her eyes were huge but she looked like she was wondering what he would do. “Sorry, I should have asked you first. Is this ok?” He whispered to her, she just nodded, face unchanged.

“Yes, Umm, Mother, Father, I believe you both remember Miss Granger.” He said as he helped her to kneel beside him behind the sofa, keeping them both hidden from the shoulders down.

“Mrs Malfoy, Mr Malfoy, lovely to see you again. Thank you for having me in your home.”

His parents stood as if petrified for one heartbeat before his Mother’s impeccable manners won out.

“Miss Granger, how nice to see you. Won’t you join us for luncheon once you’ve finished in the library?  Lucius, will you assist me? We’ll need to have the elves set two more places and I think we should move to the table in the garden.” His Mother turned and went to arrange their lunch while his Father looked over his shoulder at him, exasperated, as he followed after her.

“It’s a very good thing we drank so much, otherwise I might have died of embarrassment just then.” Hermione said once the doors closed.

They were both giggling as they gathered clothes and redressed.  They helped each other with buttons and hooks and fixed each other’s hair.  As she straightened his tie he leaned in and kissed her.

“Why did you tell them it was me?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” her question made no sense to him, then he worried “Are you, Hermione are you concerned that I’m still going to spout off about blood status and-“

“No, no.  I don’t think that.  I could see the other day in the lab that wasn’t . . . It’s just, I was sort of with Ron, at least I thought I was, and he never wanted to tell anyone, he said it was better if we didn’t tell his family or our friends, because we didn’t know if things were serious– “

“I won’t hide you.” He held her face as he said it, looking into her eyes and then gently kissing her. “Thank you.”

“For what?” her curious brown eyes looked up at him.

“For being you, for being fearless, for having perfect manners, for agreeing to have lunch with my parents after getting caught naked in the library.”

“At 11:30 in the morning” she added with mock seriousness, making them both giggle.

His laughter slowed and he became serious for a moment, "After, when you, I thought maybe you regretted . . .“ he trailed off.

“I most definitely do not regret.” She smiled and kissed him, going up onto her toes to reach. “That was undoubtedly the best sex I have ever had.” She said against his lips, kissing him again as he groaned.

“Oh, Granger, I’ve only just started.” He wrapped his arms around her, one hand sliding down to her bum as he kept kissing her.

A knock at the door startled them both and they stepped apart, “Draco, luncheon in the garden whenever you’re ready.” Lucius said from the other side of the door.

“Right. Don’t sugar coat this, do your parents actively hate me? Just tell me now.”

“My Mother doesn’t hate you, I am sure of it. My Father . . . My Father is not a warm person.  He’ll be formal and cold, but I don’t believe he continues to hate muggle-borns or you in particular. Right now I think he’s rather displeased with me, he won’t focus on you but he’ll spend the entire lunch insulting me.  If he uses a slur it’s because he wants to irritate me in front of you. Let me apologize in advance for what I am sure will be an uncomfortable meal.”

“Well, at least we’re still a little drunk.” She smiled brightly.

He offered her his arm and she took it with a laugh and they headed out to lunch.

 

 


	6. six

Draco led Hermione out to the garden, trying to avoid any rooms he thought may remind her of her previous visit. “I know what you’re doing,” she leaned in and whispered conspiratorially.

“That’s because you’re a know-it-all,” he replied in the same manner, making her giggle which set them both off laughing as they reached the garden.

Narcissa Malfoy looked toward the sound of her son’s laugh, a sound she hadn’t heard in a very long time.  For the past fortnight her son had been drinking too much and moping, even before that he had been quiet.  She had been worried for some time that he had never quite recovered from the events of the war.  Suddenly here he was, with a carefree smile she had rarely seen since he was a boy. She knew in that moment that she had to make sure her husband didn’t wreck this for him.

Narcissa approached the couple gracefully and accepted a kiss on the cheek from her only child, “Always a pleasant surprise when you can join us, darling.” She turned to Hermione, “Miss Granger, I have heard such wonderful things about your work.  Draco simply raves.  We’re delighted you could join us today, aren’t we, Lucius?” She gave her husband a pointed stare.

Lucius Malfoy just glared. 

As they sat down to eat Narcissa steered the conversation expertly to some recent articles in Potions Monthly, then on to the ingredients she grows and harvests from her own garden, somehow working in polite ways to learn more about Hermione along the way.  By the end of the meal she had gleaned that the girl desperately missed having a family, hadn’t had a serious committed relationship but had experienced some heartbreak, and was a very good match for her son in terms of both humor and intelligence.  Narcissa cared far more about her son’s happiness than she did about anyone’s blood status, and by proving to be a delightful and well-mannered meal companion Hermione had gained even more of Draco’s Mother’s approval.

Lucius Malfoy was another matter.  He glared menacingly at his meal, at Hermione, at Draco, at his water glass, and even at the flowers in the garden. He spent the meal making disagreeable grunts whenever his wife tried to bring him in to the conversation. As the plates were removed he had clearly come to the end of his patience.

“To what do we owe this midday visit, Draco? Did you get sacked, or just care so little about that job of yours that you abandon your post to shag mudbl-“

Before he could finish the word his wife, for the first time in their entire marriage, raised her voice to him, and she didn’t hold back.  “Lucius Malfoy! You will NOT ruin this.  I stood by you when you went on with all that hateful nonsense, when you introduced my own sister to that man who drove her insane, I have NEVER, not once brought up the fact that you brought a madman into my HOME and nearly got both Draco and myself killed-“

“Narcissa!”

“DON’T YOU DARE.  He is happy for the FIRST TIME in over a decade and YOU. WILL. NOT. RUIN IT!”

As her husband and son watched her outburst in shock, Hermione turned her gaze to Draco. Narcissa had stood as she yelled, giving her the vantage point as she finished to see Hermione reach over and cover Draco’s hand where he was gripping the arm of his chair.  Draco looked bewildered by the gesture, looking first down to see what was touching his hand and then over to Hermione in confusion when he realized it was her.

Narcissa recovered quickly. “I do apologize Miss Granger, we’ve had such a nice conversation and I hope that is what you’ll recall of this day.  Now, I’m sure you two must be getting back.”

“Thank you Mrs Malfoy, the meal was lovely and I am so grateful to have seen some of the garden.” Hermione said as they stood.

Narcissa walked around to Draco and kissed his cheek, noting that he now held Hermione’s hand in his.  “Have a pleasant afternoon my darling,” adding in a whisper “I won’t expect you for dinner.”

“Thank you, Mother.” Draco whispered back to her before he and Hermione walked back to the house.  Narcissa watched them go; noting that he never let go of her hand.

As they entered the house Hermione pulled Draco to a halt, “Are you alright?”

“Am I . . . are you?”

“Yes, fine.  You warned me,” she said with a wave, “Think I may have sobered up a bit though,” she finished with a teasing frown.

“Well, there’s only one thing for that,” Draco said in faux seriousness as he walked backwards towards the library, pulling her along by the hand.

“You’ve got that look like you’re planning something.” She teased.

“I believe my Father owes us reparations,” he teased back as he took a full bottle of Lucius’ most expensive firewhiskey by the neck and waved it at Hermione.

“Yes, that’s only fair.”

She pulled him into the Library’s fireplace and out again into her flat where they toasted with the best firewhiskey Hermione had ever had. As they drank the generous portions Draco became quiet and found himself looking down at the tumbler in his hand, swirling his drink after taking a large sip. Hermione reached for his hand and once again he looked down at his hand in surprise when he felt her cool fingers.

“Why do you do that?” she asked as she twined her fingers with his.

“I’m not used to it.  No one really touches me.” He said as he continued to look at their hands.

“Honestly, women do talk you know.  I’ve heard that quite a number of witches have _touched_ you.” She said it teasingly, rocking their hands on his knee.

He chuckled, “Not for some time, and not like this.” He held up their hands.  He seemed to have grown contemplative now that his earlier inebriation had faded. “No one except my Mother touches me out of compassion.” He said quietly and took another sip.

He looked down into his glass, now empty. She suddenly felt so sad, she gently crawled onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry,” she said into his neck.  He carefully put the glass onto the coffee table next to hers (empty as well) and reciprocated her hug. “I think we’ve reached the melancholy stage,” he said into her hair. “We might need another before either of us starts to cry.” He squeezed her as he said the last bit, getting a watery laugh in return. 

“Too late,” came her broken voice.  He held her tighter and rubbed her back. “Shh, s’alright.”

“But, BUT, it’s so AWFUL.  I don’t even know you really.  And we have so much in common, we could have been FRIENDS. And it’s all so sad.”

“Shhh, I’ve got you, it’s all just fine.” He kept stroking her back gently

“and I miss having parents,” He started rocking her gently as he held her and stroked her back, “and, and I’m TERRIBLE at drinking,” was followed by a sob, breaking the mood a little and letting him laugh softly as he comforted her.

“You’re wonderful at everything.”

“I’m not,” she sat up to look at him, “I’m not at all. I’m not good at being social, and I haven’t been able to brew a potion to fix my scar, and Ron said I was stiff and awkward in bed.” She said it with such sincerity, her watery eyes looking at him with complete trust.

“He said what?!” Draco couldn’t believe what he just heard.  “Hermione, you are fantastic in bed.”

“But you can’t know that.” She shook her head.

“Yes, I can, we had sex earlier today.” _Please, please don’t tell me you forgot._

“Yes, but not in a **bed** ,” her brow furrowed as she continued, “maybe I’m better when there’s no bed.  If the bed was the common component when - Oooohh!”  Draco stood, picking her up.

“Seems we have to test your hypothesis, which way?” She pointed to her bedroom door as he carried her.  He deposited her gently on the edge of her bed and knelt to remove her shoes. Setting them neatly on the floor he said, “Is this alright?” as he ran his hands up and down her legs.

“Oh yes,” she smiled and blushed, “I quite liked having sex with you earlier.” She covered her mouth with one had and her eyes went wide. She lifted the hand, “I said that out loud.”

He was laughing, “Yes you did,” and he leaned up to kiss along her jaw, adding “I quite liked it as well,” just before he reached her mouth.  As he kissed her he slid both hands under her skirt and took hold of her knickers.  He started to gently tug them down her hips, breaking the kiss so she could lift her hips. “But I did so want to do this,” He pulled her knickers off and slid his hands back up, moving her knees apart. He kissed his way from her knee up her thigh, his hands pushing her skirt out of the way and gently positioning her legs wider. She was sitting up and watching him with a curious look on her face. 

He closed his eyes and nuzzeled her thigh, letting his cheek just barely rub against her, “Draco” she said softly.  He turned and started licking and then sucking a wide ring around her pussy, then closer and closer, she gasped as his tongue touched her clit, and yelped as he slid it down and pushed it stiffly into her. Her hands flew to his head and she fell back slightly, she tried to hold her shoulders off of the bed to see. He poured all of his desire into her, licking and sucking her labia and her clit, swirling his tongue and humming deeply, almost growling.  He used his hands and his mouth to build her tension and soon she was rocking her hips against his face and riding his fingers as she came against his mouth.

“That was BRILLIANT” she said, laying on her back and catching her breath. She raised her head to look at him, he had his head resting against her left knee and he was breathing hard as well.  “I mean it,” said as she reached for him.

He chuckled, letting her pull him into the bed as he removed his jacket and kicked off his shoes.  She quickly had his tie off and his shirt open. He rolled them so that she was straddling his lap, then sat up as he unbuttoned her blouse and removed it once again.  He leaned in and kissed one hard nipple though her bra as he unhooked it behind her and pulled it down her arms.  Her hands went to his hair as he suckled her breasts, first one and then the other, over and over as she gasped and moaned and laughed the most wonderful naughty laugh he had ever heard.

He finally unzipped her skirt and as he moved to her side he pulled it down and off, stopping to kiss the arch of one foot.  Kneeling and looking down at her as she lay naked and so beautiful, he unfastened his belt and trousers. She moaned at the sight of him and helped him remove the last of his clothing.   They had settled on their sides, facing each other and his hands were once again cradling her face as they kissed. Draco let his emotions pour into everything he was doing, every touch and caress.  He used his eyes and mouth and hands and cock to give her every ounce of pleasure he could before he once again came, stiff and trembling in her arms after shouting his love.

“MMMhhhhmm” She pulled him close, held him on top of her, “Oh Draco, Draco.”  He shifted his weight to fall to her side and let her cradle his head against her perfect breasts, kissing them softly.

“See, you’re fantastic,” he said between kisses. He was delighted when her breasts started shaking as she laughed. 

“Never, never, never like this before,” she said as she closed her eyes.  “Are you always so . . . good?  Good isn’t strong enough a word.”

He laughed, “I don’t think that’s all me.” He kissed the space over her heart as she ran her fingers through his hair. “It has never been like this for me before.  Not like this.” He said as he held her to him, his eyes drifting closed as well.

 


	7. seven

A gasp and a yelled “HERMIONE JEAN GRANGER!” woke them hours later.

“Wassit” Draco started, pulled suddenly from the most wonderful dream. He had jolted to half sitting and his hair was sticking up comically.

“Gway” Hermione pulled a pillow over her head.

 “Ginny, what’s wrong!” Harry came running down the hall.

“Hermione’s in bed with Malfoy,” Ginny called over her shoulder before she turned in the doorway to face Harry. “And he’s quite something, she’s going to need a pain potion or she’ll be walking funny.”

“GINNY!”  Harry looked appalled.

“See for yourself” the redhead gestured into the room.

“I do not want to see . . . THAT.”

Draco pulled a blanket over Hermione and tugged on his trousers and shirt.  “Thanks for respecting my modesty, Potter.”  He said as he stepped behind Ginny.

“Malfoy! What the hell do you think you’re-“

“Shhhh” Draco shooed them away from the bedroom door and closed it.

“Hrmmm” came from the bed.  He turned to see Hermione, hair wild and only one eye open, she reached pitifully for Draco and enclose her arms around his middle when he sat beside her.  “Mhdhrts” she said into his stomach.  _Thank Merlin she didn’t forget about me_ , he thought.

“Hangover potion?” he asked very, very quietly.

“Bfrm.”

“Stay still, I’ll get it.”

He quickly found the potion and was nearly back to her when he froze.

“Hrm” from the bed spurred him forward again as he handed her the vial.

“Oh much better.  Do you need one?” She said as she smiled up at him.

“No.” He sat on the bed stiffly, not sure how to proceed. “Hermione, I have to tell you something.  Please don’t get upset.”

Hermione’s face fell.  _Must have just been the alcohol,_ she thought.

“We had sex.” He started slowly.

“Yes, I am quite aware.”  _And you think I’m awful and you want to leave now_.

He continued as gently as possible, “We didn’t . . . We weren’t careful.  I don’t want you to worry about me not being honorable-” 

“Draco,” she reached for his arm, “I use muggle birth control. I prefer it to the spell which it seems no one ever remembers anyway.”

“Oh . . . so, there’s not . . . “ He didn’t look at all relieved.

Loud knocking halted him, “Hermione! Harry thinks Malfoy is in there doing something evil, but he’s a big prude so he sent me to interrupt.” sounded through the door before a muffled “I am not a prude!”

“I’ll need to deal with that.” She looked down at the blanket, “If you want to go-“

“May I stay?” He asked gently.

“You **want** to stay?” She looked surprised.

“Do you - no, let me start again.  You know how I feel about you?” When she nodded he continued, “I’m not sure why you’re letting me be with you, I sincerely hope it wasn’t just the alcohol.”

“Oh, Draco.” Hermione smoothed her hand over his cheek, “I’m with you because I’m discovering that you’re someone quite special.” She said gently and she leaned over to kiss him with such sweetness it made his heart swell and ache. 

After quickly dressing Hermione twisted her hair into a bun as she and Draco emerged from her bedroom. Harry was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands as Ginny walked out of the kitchen with a tea tray, “Ah, Hermione, would you like some tea? Perhaps an ice pack?”

Draco smirked, _can’t recall why I never liked her_.

“Just tea thanks, a splash of milk and no cheek.” Hermione said as she reached for a cup.

Ginny decided to handle one issue at a time, “Look, I know my brother is a giant prat.” Draco liked this girl more and more by the moment, “What in Merlin’s name did he do?”

Hermione looked at her tea.  “What Ron did doesn’t matter.  I hadn’t heard from him for over two months before I accidentally ran in to him this morning.  I take it you two came by to check on me?”

“Harry went by your office this afternoon. The office you haven’t been to all day,” Ginny said. “Then we heard some wild rumor about you getting thrown out of a restaurant. We called and called but there was no answer, so we finally came though and found a half empty bottle of firewhiskey and a naked Slytherin.”

“The RESTAURANT!” Hermione put one hand over her face. “Oh I forgot about the restaurant, I’m so embarrassed-“

“How much did you drink?” Harry asked.

“At the restaurant? 4 rounds or so, I think.” Draco replied, wiping a hand over his face and through his messy hair.

“In the middle of the morning?” Harry looked scandalized. Draco laughed and Hermione flushed, her eyes went huge and she turned to Draco gaping, “Your PARENTS.”

Draco’s eyes widened as well, “Shit, I forgot about that part.”

Hermione buried her face in her hands, “mnvrdrkggn.”

“You’re going to feel worse in a second,” Ginny said, “Mum sent us round to make sure you knew you were invited, as in expected, as in my Mother will hunt you down and drag you by your hair, to the ceremony on Saturday.”

Hermione groaned, “Ugh.” She slumped back against the sofa, “I can’t possibly go to that wedding if I’m never drinking again ever.”

“I can’t believe we had lunch with my parents.” As the memory came back to him Draco was astonished they had made it through as well as they had, “I’ll have to thank my Mother for thinking to move it outside.” He said distractedly.

“Hmmm?” Hermione looked at him before he answered, “They usually have lunch in . . . well, you’ve seen that room.”

Harry was sure something evil was happening so he considered it logically, “No, something’s off, even drunk there is no way Hermione would willingly go to Malfoy Manor.  There is absolutely nothing that would ever make her go back there.”

Draco smiled, “My Mother collected first editions of all 12 revisions of Hogwarts, A History,” he said with a laugh.

Ginny snorted before composing herself. “We can get you out of the rehearsal dinner on Friday, but there’s no way you can miss the ceremony.  What can we set up to make it less awful?  Do you want George do something?”  Draco stiffened at the mention of the remaining Weasley twin. He had spent years coming to terms with his guilt for a number of things, but he still felt a great weight whenever he thought about Fred.

“No, Gin. I’ll push on.” Hermione said with a sigh, “It’s just one day.” She finished softly, thinking it was one day commemorating the end of a friendship.

“Promise?” Ginny raised her eyebrows.

“Promise,” Hermione gave her a sad smile.

“Right, that’s our job done. You’re having lunch with me tomorrow, and I’ll be hearing all about this.” Ginny waved her hand at Hermione and Draco as she stood, “Come on, Harry.”

“Wait, we can’t leave her here with him!” Harry stood as well but was ill inclined to actually leave.

“Oh what’ll he do, shag her to death with his big-“

“GINEVRA!”

Harry flushed but followed his girlfriend into the fireplace.

Hermione and Draco sat on the sofa, each taking in the events of the day with sober minds. “Thank you for staying.” Hermione said as she maneuvered herself under his arm and molded herself against his side.

“Of course.” He said with a smile.  He had never experienced this kind of affection with a girl before and he was surprised by how much he enjoyed it. He pulled her even tighter against him.

“Umm, what happens now?”

“Now?” he kissed the top of her head and continued softly, “I buy you dinner, then I bring you home and hold onto you while you sleep. We can handle things at work tomorrow however you like, and on Saturday I will escort you to the wedding, if you’ll allow me.”

“Really?” She twisted to look up at him with wide, hopeful eyes.

“Yes, really.” He smiled back.


	8. eight

The next two days flew by as Hermione and Draco returned to work.  Hermione had lunch with Ginny, continuing to dodge her friend’s questions about Ron and refusing to define even to herself what was going on with Draco despite joining him for dinner each night. 

They arrived at the Burrow hand in hand on Saturday, immediately causing quite a stir among the guests.  They finished saying hello to Molly and Arthur and Draco offered Hermione his arm in one of the old fashioned formal gestures he frequently made.  _If men only knew what this does to women_ , she thought as Draco led her towards where Harry stood on the lawn. “I thought this was supposed to be a small ceremony?” Hermione asked as she took in the large crowd. “You have met Lavender, right?” Harry joked. While they spoke Hermione caught the look passing over Harry’s face “Alright Harry, out with it.”

Harry took a breath, “Ginny told everyone you were bringing a date, but she wouldn’t say who.  And, Ron thinks you don’t have one, anyway.  It’s just like that sodding yule ball all over again.” He took a large gulp from the glass of champagne in his hand. “Probably worse.”

A group of almost a dozen children ran over to cluster near them, finally pushing little Victoire Weasley forward. She bravely reached up one hand and tugged at the knee of Draco’s trousers to get his attention. “Hello,” he said as he looked down.

“We heard that you have a dark mark, and we want to see.” She nodded to the whole group.  Hermione and Harry froze.

Draco bent at the knees to meet her at face level. “Well, let’s hear your offer, then?  If I had one I wouldn’t just run about showing people for free.”

She turned back to the group and there was a minor conference before she turned back with, “Francis has a rash on his elbow and I’ve got a scabby knee.”

“A dark mark for a rash on the elbow and a scabby knee?” Draco seemed to consider the situation for a moment, “No, no deal.” He looked up to Harry, “Say Potter, I think this lot has a fair price for that scar on your forehead, if you’re in the market.”

Harry made a sour face but bent to discuss terms with the children.

“Draco! Draco!” Heralded the sudden arrival of Remus and Tonks son Teddy, who took a flying leap into Draco’s arms, “Teddy! I didn’t realize I’d see you today.” Draco lifted him as he stood and turned, smiling to Hermione.

Hermione felt a ripple in her chest as she watched Draco with the children, and she looked at him holding Teddy with a silly smile on her face.  “Mr Edward Lupin may I present Miss Hermione Granger,” Draco bowed as he held Teddy, making the boy giggle.

“I already know Hermione, she’s my friend! Is she your friend, too?”

“Yes, I am.” Hermione leaned in to kiss Teddy on the cheek, which he promptly wiped away.  Draco set him down so he could join Harry and the other children.

“Hermione!” They both looked up as a smiling George Weasley walked towards them with a redheaded boy clinging to his chest. “George!  Hello Freddie,” she pecked George’s cheek before leaning in to kiss Freddie as he peaked at her with one eye.  “Lo ‘ermione” came the quiet reply. Draco couldn’t move. He had thought about this for the past two days, convincing himself that he could do this for Hermione. But he hadn’t known about George Weasley’s son.

“Freddie, can you say hello to Hermione’s friend? His name is Draco.” Draco looked into George’s kind eyes, and then down to the shy little boy. He couldn’t believe this was happening.  Hermione moved to his side and held on to his arm, “Lo Draco” the small boy said softly. “Hello Freddie,” Draco said, his voice breaking.  George smiled and clapped him on the shoulder with the large hand not supporting his son, “Chin up, Malfoy.  Anybody who makes Hermione smile is fine by the two of us. Isn’t that right Freddie?” A tiny giggle sounded from near his chest and Freddie smiled at Draco. George continued past them to find his wife as the rest of the guests moved to their seats.

“Draco?” Hermione looked up at him and held onto his arm a little tighter. “Sorry,” He blinked and composed himself. “Hey, hey,” Hermione brought her hands up to either side of his face and made him look into her eyes. “When you’re ready, know that you can tell me.” She said before pulling him down and kissing his forehead softly.  He smiled at her and moved her hands to his arm to escort her to her seat.

The ceremony soon began.  Ron, his brothers and Harry all stepped forward at the front as a procession of bridesmaids began.  Everyone stood for the bride’s entrance, Hermione clasped Draco’s hand and held it in front of her heart as she waited for the pain she was expecting to feel.  She saw Lavender at the top of the aisle, but no pain came. She smiled as she realized why and squeezed Draco’s hand before smiling up at him.  He had looked down to her with a heavy heart, expecting her to be grieving the loss of another man.  What he found instead was a radiant smile that he readily returned. The weight on his heart lifted at the same time a loud “Bloody hell!” surprised all assembled. Everyone turned to look at Ron as he stood at the altar, red as a lobster, Harry tugging him back by one arm. He wasn’t looking at Lavender; he was pointing directly at Draco and Hermione, “what in Merlin’s balls do you think you’re doing!”

“Language!” Hermione said reflexively.

“Ron?” Lavender said from the other end of the aisle.

Ron pushed Harry off and stomped around the assembled guests towards where Hermione and Draco were standing.  Harry, Percy, Bill and Charlie all followed trying to slow him down as Ginny and George went round the other direction to try to head him off.

“Ronald Bilius Weasley!” Molly tried, but Ron was in such a rage he didn’t even notice.

“No!  NO! What in fuck are you doing with HIM?!”

Draco said quickly, “I can apparate us away, but I won’t unless you tell me.”

“No, no.” Hermione clutched his arm as Ron reached them.

“What the hell do you think you’re playing at?! He’s a fucking DEATH EATER, Hermione!” Ron yelled at them.

“Stop it, stop it.” Hermione cried.

“Ron, stop, NOW!” Harry tried to pull him back.

“Petrificus Totalus,” Ron’s limbs pulled in and he fell over, eyes open as Lavender approached, tears running down her face.

Lavender looked at Ron on the ground and closed her eyes; she was rubbing her belly in an attempt to calm herself, “Mustn’t get too upset. It’s bad for the baby.”

Everyone was silent until Hermione quietly said, “Lavender, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have come.”

Lavender turned wet eyes to her, “I knew you would be here, you’re his friend.”

“I don’t think that’s true anymore.” Hermione replied. She turned and buried her face in Draco’s chest as his arms enveloped her.

Lavender looked to Ron, “No more yelling. For the baby,” and uttered the counter-curse.

“Hermione, Hermione, no” he said, and Lavender turned away.

“What are you doing with him?” Ron cried.

Hermione looked up to Draco’s concerned eyes, “I’m falling in love with him.” And without looking back she apparated them away.

 


	9. nine

They appeared on a hillside with a small crack.

Her voice was muffled against his chest, “I do mean it, I’m falling in love with you, Draco.” Draco held her, saying softly “I know you wouldn’t say it if you didn’t mean it.” _I'll be worth it, I swear,_  he thought as they held each other tightly and a soft breeze rustled the trees around them.

They stayed like that for a long while before Draco felt Hermione growing tired, he released her only to take his jacket off and lay it on the grass for her to sit on.  She gave him a tired smile as he helped her to sit so that she could lean against him, her back to his chest.  He wrapped his arms around her again.

“It’s been a very long day for only being mid afternoon,” she said.

“I’ll hold you, if you want to sleep.” He said.

“No. I don’t want to sleep.  I want to think about something else but I can’t. I . . . I’ve never made friends easily, and I’ve lost so many people. I didn’t think . . . “ she trailed off. “This is one of the places we camped during the last year of the war; it was just Harry and I here. Ron had left.”

Draco held her as the afternoon sun warmed them. “How do you know Teddy?” she asked after a long silence.

“He’s my cousin.”

“But I thought your Mother never spoke to her sister.”

Draco smiled, “My aunt Bella never spoke to her sister. My Mother never stopped, she and aunt Dromeda stayed in touch but kept it secret from everyone, even Father and I, until after the war.  Aunt Dromeda is raising Teddy and Mother and I visit now, so we see him.”

“The children liked you today.” She smiled at the memory.

“I like kids.” He said very quietly, talking into her hair. “Today, you know they’re too little to know what a dark mark means. I realized it when some of my friends started having kids.  If I treat it like any other scar or mark they do too.”

Hermione smiled, “You were perfect.”

“Always nice to needle Potter as well.” He squeezed her as he made the joke.

Hermione smiled, but it soon turned to tears. “He, he won’t be my friend anymore.” He knew she wasn’t talking about Harry. “Not now. He really hasn’t been for a long time.” Draco held on, soothing her.  “He was with both of us. I didn’t know.  He said, he said,” she sobbed, “that we should keep everything private, not tell anyone. And I let him, let him make me fell like I wasn't worth it.”  There was a long pause as she cried. “ I didn’t even tell Harry but I think he knew some.  A few months ago he just disappeared, wouldn’t talk to me or answer my calls or letters, I didn’t know why.  Think from the timing it might be when Lavender told him about the baby.  I was so stupid.”

“Shh, you are never stupid.”

“It felt awful, the whole time it was awful. Why did I let-“ she stopped on another sob. “I thought it would hurt today.” She said when she resumed.  “But it didn’t, it hurt then.  Now it only hurts to feel stupid.”

Draco squeezed her. “You’re the smartest person I know, and you have the biggest heart.”

She turned in his arms, “Please be gentle with it.” She whispered near his ear as she kissed his cheek softly.

“I promise I will.” He kissed her forehead before she settled against him again and he felt her body relax as she drifted to sleep.

He held her as she slept, when she woke at dusk he was gently stroking her hair.  She looked up and smiled at him for a while. “I think someone is probably at my flat, or they’ll be coming round once I’m there.”

“Come home with me.” She stiffened, “Hermione, are you, is it because of what happened during the war?”

She laughed, it felt so good to laugh, and flushed, “No! It’s because your parents caught us shagging in the library.”

Draco laughed too. 

“Up you go, Granger.  You’ve got to face them sometime because I’m not letting you go, and there are many more rooms I’m planning on shagging you in.” He said as he used a handkerchief to wipe the remnants of her tears before taking hold of her hand and apparating them to the Manor with a pop.

 


	10. ten

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't even know.

Draco brought them to the library, expecting Hermione would laugh at him and hoping it would cheer her a bit.  He had not expected to find the room lit romantically with music playing and his parents dancing, no strike that, kissing and – “Mother, Father,” he said loudly.

“Draco!” Narcissa stepped back from her husband. “Ah, Miss Granger, how lovely to see you.”

“Mrs. Malfoy, I’m sorry we seem to have interrupted your evening.”

“Miss Granger, you are always welcome.” Lucius Malfoy said as he came forward and offered his hand.  Hermione raised an eyebrow but took it.  He bowed deeply and kissed her hand lightly. “I offer my deepest apologies for my behavior the other day.” He said before straightening.

“Thank you, Mr. Malfoy,” she said, feeling wary.

“Hermione and I will be on our way to the kitchen, if you’ll excuse us.”

“Of course, darling.  Enjoy your evening.”

As Draco led Hermione to the kitchen he whispered, “She locked him out of their bedroom and refused to speak to him until he stopped acting like, and I am quoting, a rude hateful jackass. My Father, the terrifying Lucius Malfoy, lasted barely 3 hours before he was ordering owls to bring bouquets to her window and begging her to talk to him. She made him wait two more days before she even spoke to him.  I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen him myself.”

Hermione laughed, “Draco, Your parents are still in love!”

“Until a few days ago I had no idea. Seems they’ve patched it up now.”

“Well, the library is very romantic.” She batted her eyes at him.

“That’s far less funny now that you’re talking about my parents, Granger.”

They laughed as Draco took her to the kitchen. They ate and laughed, falling in to the easy conversation they now found with each other. After they finished he reached across the table for her hand, “Stay tonight?”

“Your parents are here!”

He stood, walking around the table without releasing her fingers, “Far, far away, in a different wing.“ He signaled for her to rise as well, “I’ve missed you since Wednesday.” Hermione was nervous, though he had stayed with her Wednesday night they had only slept, and she had sent him home at the end of both of their dates.  She worried that without the alcohol she would be stiff and awkward, just as Ron said. “You’ve had a difficult day, let me take care of you.” He whispered. Hermione smiled and gave him just the smallest blush as she nodded.

He offered his arm and walked her through the Manor to his bedroom.  As they entered all she could think was, _what an enormous bed_. He gave her a soft silk shirt to change into and showed her which door led to his bathroom.  When she finished washing her face and had changed into the large shirt she came back in to the bedroom to find him sitting on the edge of the bed.  He was shirtless, wearing low-slung pajamas and leaning with his forearms across his knees. She sucked in a breath as she saw him, causing him to look up.  He stood when he saw her.

He gave her the most adoring smile, “You look so lovely,” he said before shaking his head, “and I’ve promised myself to let you set the pace. Come on, let’s get you sorted.” He offered his hand and guided her to the bed where he pulled the sheets back and helped her in.  She laid her head onto the softest pillow and he brought the covers up over her and sat to face her, still holding her hand.

“We’ve had four rather mad days, haven’t we, Granger?” He said it so sweetly, smiling at her and playing with her fingers. “If you want me to stay in the next room, or on the window seat, or on the floor next to you, you’ll tell me.” He gave her knuckle a light kiss.

“How are you real?” she said, making him laugh. “I’m not joking, Malfoy. You’re . . . you’re everything I ever imagined and more.” His heart sung in his chest and she could see in his face how much her words meant to him. “I’m worried you won’t like sleeping with me when I’m . . . not uninhibited.” She said very quietly, her brown eyes watching him.

He put a hand to her face, smoothing his thumb over her delicate cheekbone.  “Hermione Granger, I love you.” Her smile was radiant; this was the look a man hopes to see.  He got very serious as he said, “It seems I’ll have to dedicate myself to convincing you that you’re fantastic in bed, a very worthwhile cause I’m willing to selflessly commit to. But, I will take my direction from you as to when I may begin.” He kissed her knuckles again.

“I want you to stay in this giant bed with me,” she reached up and held his face in her hands, “and I want you to start right now, you big flirt.” He laughed as he slid under the covers and reached for her, “Don’t be coy, you knew exactly what you were doing down to the last detail.” She ran her hands up and down his bare chest.  “And now you know I know.”

“Know what I’m doing, do you?” He kissed her, “Always a know-it-all.” He kissed her on the nose playfully, then her mouth again, deeper, tasting her tongue. “Then you’ll know I have a plan that gets you to realize how amazing you are.” He slid his hand over her hip as he spoke, caressing the curve there, “A plan that includes telling you how I’ve spent hours lying awake in this bed the past few nights and thinking about your firm body,” his hand dipped back to hold and squeeze one cheek of her bum through the large silk shirt. 

“Do you know how hard it makes me to know you like me shirtless, to know that I have an effect on you? Merlin yes I knew what I was doing, I thought of you in this very shirt, I imagined how the silk would feel against your perfect tits,” He pulled her so that she had one leg on top of him, freeing his hand so he could cup her breasts and tease her nipples through the silk, “I love the shape, the size, the way you feel in my hands, the color of your hard little nipples, the taste when I suck on them, how responsive you are, how it makes you rub against me,” her hips had started working gently against his thigh but she stopped when he mentioned it.

“Ohh, Hermione, don’t stop,” He pushed his leg between hers and pushed his thigh up against her. “Did I make your sweet pussy ache? Take your pleasure on me, from me, I’ve got you.”  He took her hand and moved it down his stomach to the aching hard-on in his pants and covered her hand with his own in a quick squeeze. “I’m so hard for you, ready to give you whatever you want, anything you want.” He moved her hand back up his body, releasing it on his chest and moving to caress her face, her shoulder, her curves, coming to rest on her hip and smoothing down to her thigh and back up, all the while rubbing his thigh between her legs and prompting her to rub against him again.  As he slid his hand up he groaned, “Ohhhh, you’ve left your knickers off, my naughty girl, did you want my mouth on your pretty little cunt, again? Mmmmm, I’ve been thinking of that, too, taste so sweet.”

“Mmm, Draco, yes.” She moaned against his neck.

“Tell me, do you want me to kneel next to the bed like I did the other day? Do you want me to slide under the blanket? Do you want me to lay back, lower you down on my tongue and you can ride my face? I’ll give you whatever you want, anything.” His hands played over her ass, her back her shoulders, her breasts, and his leg kept gently rubbing against her as she rode his thigh a little harder.

“Tell me my love, I’ll give you anything, anything.” 

She moaned, moving her hand over his chest and shoulder. “I like, you, talking,” Her face was still buried in his neck even as her hips worked harder.

He pinched and played with her nipples as he moaned, “Ohhh, Hermione, mmmm, makes me crazy how you respond to me, last night I couldn’t sleep, I was so hard, laying here, thinking of you.  Had my hand of my cock, pretending it was yours, thinking about your wet pussy, you on top of me, underneath me, imagining your sweet mouth, hrmmm, oh love, my love. Let me touch you, I want to feel how wet you are for me,” he shifted her to her back and slid his hand down her belly and between her legs, teasing for only a moment before working his fingers into her tracing the edge of his hand or his thumb alternately across her clit, “Oh yes, you’re dripping, my girl, my love,” he muttered as he kissed her, kissed her neck and down to her breasts which he sucked through the silk shirt. He smiled against her as she rode his hand to a fast, shuddering orgasm, releasing her nipple and smirking up at her when she stopped contracting on his hand, he gently moved to caress her thigh.

She peered down at him, “You’re quite smug.”

“My plan is going so well.” He unbuttoned one button with his teeth, smiling up at her.

“Did you mean what you said?”

“Every word.” He undid another button.

“So you, with your hand?”

“Hmm, yes, twice before I could get to sleep.” Another button.

“Just since the past few days?”

He laughed, “Oh, Hermione,” he slid up to kiss her, to growl in her ear, “I have wanked to thoughts of you and your fit little body since you punched me in the nose.”

“Draco!” she said with a gasp.

“Have you ever touched yourself, thought of me? I’ve imagined you like that so many times, imagined you thinking of me.”

“Yes, yes.”  She reached between then, took hold of his rigid cock.

“OH Fuck, Hermione, yes, tell me, please.”

“I, after the shower, in the lab, I thought about you, every night I made myself come, thinking of you.”

They started shoving their clothes out of the way, she threw her shirt over her head, and pushed him onto his back, his pajamas caught around his knees, and she took hold of his cock and started lowering herself, “YES, oh, Fuck yes!” he chanted, moving both hands to her hips and gripping tightly.  They moved together, hips pumping and thrusting as she rode him.  “Fuck, Hermione, Oh, OH! Going to make me come,” and she screamed, “FUCK, DRACO YES!” she contracted around him and he came with a roar, so hard his body convulsed and he grabbed on to her, held her close as their hips slowed and stopped.  He had a joyous grin as he looked at her, breathing hard, “My lovely girl.” He said as they fell back.

“Wow.” She said, making him laugh, she giggled as his laughter shook her where she lay atop him with her head on his heart.

He stroked her hair as they both calmed, “Reality with you is even better than anything I imagined.” He felt her smile against his chest.  "Also, my plan is rather brilliant."

She pinched his side.

"Ow!"

 


	11. eleven

Hermione woke feeling wonderful, warm and rested. She moved to stretch and smiled as smooth sheets glided over her skin and her cheek pressed to a fluffy pillow.  She opened her eyes to find Draco still asleep only inches away from her.  His face was half hidden by the pillow and his hair was sticking up in sleepy blonde spikes.  He looked so beautiful, all hard lines and angels and slender muscle.  She looked at his shoulders and chest, sheet was pushed down at his stomach and she scooted down the bed to get a better look.  He had the loveliest body, masculine and strong and lean. The muscles of his torso tapered to a v below his navel.  She slid the sheet down a little further.  She wanted to lick and kiss across the v shape, over his hipbones. She held back though, stopped by memories of Ron’s hand shoving her head towards his lap so hard it hurt her neck.  She was never sure how she was supposed to do anything nuanced when he was mashing her face into his crotch.

She glanced up, Draco was still asleep and his breathing was even.  She inched the sheet lower, moving it down to his thighs.  She remembered what she told him in the library, the first time she touched him, she really did find his cock impressive.  Even asleep against his thigh it was perfect, long with a large crown and a very fine width that made it almost flat across the top when he was hard. She tilted her head to one side, then the other as she admired him.  She was startled when it suddenly twitched and hardened.

A laugh came from the top of the bed as Draco stretched. He had woken from a wonderful, restful sleep to see Hermione studying him. He loved that she looked at him, seemed to quite like him physically in fact, and the way she held her head off center was just the same as she did when she was thinking at work or even when they had been in school, and he thought it was adorable.

“Good morning, this is certainly the most pleasant sight I have ever found upon waking.”

Hermione moved back but Draco moved down the bed to catch her in a tender kiss.  She realized he was smiling even as he was kissing her.

“You’re so happy,” she never would have expected him to be as he is, so tender and loving and cheerful.  Her brow furrowed just slightly as she considered him, like a puzzle.

“Just ask, Granger,” he laughed as he smoothed her brow gently with his thumb before his hand fell to caress her cheek.

“Are you always like this?  And I just never knew?  Or, are you like this with women you’re . . . with?”

“Not sure if I can explain before a cup of coffee, but I’ll try. For a long time after the war I was a rude miserable bastard, I drank too much, sulked, I didn’t know how to be after everything, and I had been angry for so long, and the stress . . . Anyway, I took the job a few years ago, against my Father’s wishes, frankly I took it mostly to irritate him, but it felt good to work every day, eventually it felt like moving on. Then we ended up in the same department. It was not easy for me to face you that first time.  I’ve spent years trying to come to terms with guilt about so many things.” 

As he spoke they resettled, he ended up with his head against her chest and she stroked his fine hair. “I had a lot of nightmares still, I sometimes still do, one of the main ones is of what happened to you, here, and of what happened to me after." He paused as she kept playing with his hair.  "I don’t know when it happened, but I found myself really listening to you. You’re so funny, also smart and kind, but you really have the most wonderful sense of humor sometimes. I started to see more and more of you, relaxed and just, yourself.  I was drawn in.  You bewitched me.” He squeezed her and smiled.

“To your original question, I am like this because I haven’t been happy in so long, I think I forgot how it feels.  So, it’s not that you never knew, and to be quite blunt, while I was with a number of women you’re the only one I’ve stayed an entire night with.” He looked up, craning his neck so he could meet her eyes.

“I’ve never spent the entire night with anyone either,” she said softly.

He moved his hands down from her shoulders and skimmed over her back, and around the sides of her ribs. “That means we’ve never had morning sex, then? Neither of us.”

She smiled at him and shifted her hips slightly, “Yes, I do think that is what that means.”

“Anything else you’ve never done?” he was still looking up at her, but he had started gently kissing along her chest and over her breasts.

“There’s something I haven’t ever done quite as I wanted.”

“Oh this sounds very promising,” he added sucking to the kisses and her hips started to move.

“I read something once, and I thought . . . but I never really got a good chance to try . . . Ohhhh, mmmmmmm, that is lovely . . . Well, I wanted, Could you um, lay back?” She finished so softly he barely heard.

He moved onto his back, still touching her, and then groaned as she slid back down his body.  She looked up and saw his face, full of anticipation.  She was happy that he hadn’t pushed her at all, his touch remained light against her shoulder and his other hand had fallen to the bed when she moved.

“I’ll follow your lead.” He said, having to swallow before the words would even come out.  He was ridiculously hard and he could feel her breath over his sensitive skin.

“If you um, when you talked it was quite nice.” She blushed, he couldn’t believe it, her face was two inches from his cock and she blushed telling him she liked his filthy mouth.  He groaned again, then sucked in air as she traced the point of her tongue over a line of muscle at one of his hips, getting slowly closer and closer, and OH FUCK she veered down and kept her tongue pointed, tracing patterns all along his balls.

When he could breathe he began to babble a long string of nonsense, “Merlin, FUCK, Hermione, gods, you’re, Never, hot, Yes,” and on and on. Her tongue eventually moved up to the other hip, then across where it lifted away.  He had convulsed and thrown his head back when she started, his eyes closed, and now as he relaxed his shoulders he lifted his head just in time to see her soft lips opening and a fraction of a second later they slid, slowly over the head of his cock.  His mouth opened and a moan escaped.  It felt amazing, how slowly she was moving and her mouth was so warm and wet, but the visual, how her lips stretched, it was beautiful and dirty and fantastic.

She pushed down and down and down, much further than he could have imagined she would even try, then she swallowed, once, carefully and deliberately, before hollowing her cheeks and pulling up. A decidedly not masculine noise came out of his mouth followed by, “Fuck, FUCK, Hermione, Merlin, Hermione, NAHH, HAAAAAAA.”

She sped up, down and up, again and again, flicked her warm brown eyes up to meet his and started swirling her tongue as she got to the head.  He was incoherent, her hands moved onto his thighs and up and then down between his legs, her tongue licking and swirling and then her mouth pumping, she felt the edges of his balls against her fingers she could sense the tightening, the noises he was making getting louder and more wild.  She moved her mouth to play at the head again and then her hands to pump the shaft, his breathing became uneven and his hips started to move with her, and then he froze and his come hit her mouth.  He jerked and convulsed, but she held on, sucking and then swirling her tongue and then releasing him, meeting his unfocused eyes. He felt her kiss the tip softly as it lay against his thigh once more.

“Nuh, what, Merlin, Hermione.”

She laid her head against his thigh, both of them out of breathe. He started laughing as soon as he caught his, “You’re . . . You read that in a BOOK!?”

She laughed as well, covering her face with her hands. He slid down and pulled her into his arms, nosing her hands away and kissing her.  “Let’s hear more about this book then,” he said as he moved down her body and between her legs to give her the best wake-up he possibly could.

 

 


	12. twelve

Hours later Draco walked Hermione to the floo, “Allow me to take you to dinner this evening.” He had his left arm around her and was holding her right hand in his and kissing it as they walked.

“Hmmm, No.  Tonight you come over and we’re cooking,” she said as she was backing towards the floo.

“I accept your challenge, Granger,” he said with a smirk.

“I had no doubt that you would, Malfoy.” She stepped into the flames and then out again into her flat where she found Ginny curled up on the sofa.  The redhead lifted her head an inch and squinted at Hermione.

“Coffee first?” Hermione asked.  Ginny just nodded and dropped her head back to the pillow.

Hermione put together a tray with coffee and toast and returned to the sitting room to see Ginny finish straightening the sofa cushions.  The girls sat facing one another and after a few sips of coffee Ginny started, “I set up wards on your flat, to keep my horrible prat of a brother out.”

Hermione’s dropped her forehead into her hands, “He tried to come here?”

“You don’t even want to know.  I finally came over here to get away from the mess at the Burrow, and I’m quite glad you took your shagging elsewhere last night because all I wanted was some quiet.”

Hermione sipped her coffee, feeling herself taking on guilt for the whole situation.  Thinking, _if only I hadn’t let Ron hide things, if only I hadn’t let things go so far._

“I can hear your brain from here.”  Ginny paused before adding softly, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

Hermione closed her eyes, “He didn’t want anyone to know.”

“Oh, Hermione,” Ginny reached a hand out and Hermione took it and squeezed.

“I let him, Gin.  I let him go on with keeping it a secret.”

“It’s not your fault that he’s a bloody moron.” Ginny took a breath and then a sly smile spread over he face, “So. Malfoy?”

Hermione smiled, that little smile like she had a wonderful secret.

“You love him?”

Hermione nodded, she looked up at Ginny and her face was open and happy, her eyes sparkling.  “I do.  Ginny, he’s . . . he’s WONDERFUL.”

“Ohhhh, Do tell.”

“Ginny Weasley that is not what I meant . . . but yes, he’s amazing!” They fell into giggles like they were girls again.

“Right, now we’ll just have to work on getting him and Harry to be civil enough, yeah?”

“Thanks, Gin,” Hermione pulled her into a hug, “I love you and it means everything that you accept him.”

“Well, what sort of friend would I be to deny you a man with such a nice big-“

“GINNY!” and they fell laughing again.

Many salacious details later, and after Hermione covered her ears and laughed and begged not to hear details about Harry, the girls calmed and things began to turn serious.

“Gin, do your parents, do they hate me?”

“No, no, not at all!” Ginny rushed to reassure her, “Things are a mess right now, but NO ONE hates you.”  Ginny stopped, seemingly considering how or if she could proceed. “Hermione, there was a lot of yelling and arguing and some things came out after you left.  Things you probably don’t want to know, but I would rather you hear it here in private, from me.”  Ginny bit her lip as she looked at her friend.

“Right, let’s have it.” Hermione steeled herself.

“Right, yes. . . . Best to just do it fast. Lavender wasn’t the only one.”

Hermione’s eyes widened, “He got other girls pregnant!?”

“NO! Well, I don’t think so, I mean, none that I know of.  I just meant there were a number of witches.”

“Ohh, oh, well, that’s still . . . I can’t say I’m surprised.”

“And, Mum and Dad and Mr. and Mrs. Brown are still trying to get them to get married, they say it’s for the baby.  I don’t know if they’ve convinced Lavender though, but they are appealing to her, or they were last night before I finally left. Seems she only knew about you though, so she was less than pleased to hear there were others. She cares most about the baby, and that’s how the two Mums are trying to sway her, so who knows.”

Hermione was nodding slowly, “I didn’t know about her, but . . . well I’m not surprised there either. Don’t think I can summon the effort to be surprised by any of it.”

“He was trying to go after you, but he seemed to think he could still marry Lavender.  He’s a bloody giant git. Doesn’t seem to see he can’t have everything all at once.”

Hermione sighed, “Oh Gin, I don’t have anything left to say to him.  Will the ward last, to keep him out?”

“Yeah, I wrote it down for you.  I used to use it to keep my brothers out of my room, but I changed it to just block Ron. If he tries to break it he’ll get green boils.”

“Thanks Gin,” Hermione hugged her again, “Don’t know what I would do without you.”

Ginny left a bit later, and Hermione spent the rest of the day cleaning and getting things to make dinner.  She was lighting candles and setting the table when she heard the floo, moments before a pair of strong arms closed around her and she smiled, Draco held a bouquet in one hand.  She smelled the flowers and relaxed against his chest.

“I love you,” she whispered, making Draco hold her tighter.

“I love you, Hermione,” He buried his face in her hair.

They both felt a swirling in their chests, like an unimaginable sense of rightness.  He dropped the flowers as she turned in his arms to meet him in a kiss that made her knees weak. 

Hours later when they finally got around to making dinner she was surprised to find that Draco was not only able to cook, (“I am the only one who outscored you in Potions, Granger”, he had teased) but that they worked well together in the kitchen.

*

Hermione and Draco had been seeing each other for well over a month when Ginny finally got Harry to agree to a dinner for the four of them (and to promise that he would be civil).  Of course it was the day she got stuck at work late. Of course.

She arraigned to meet everyone at the restaurant, arriving just in time to see Harry looking angry and saying something to Draco who gave him his patented look of feigned boredom.  Hermione huffed a breath before moving to join them.

“Oh, Hermione! Thank Merlin,” Ginny jumped up to hug her as soon as she saw Hermione coming their way, as they embraced the redhead whispered “they’re picking at each other like we’re back in school.”

_Of bloody course_ , Hermione thought.

Harry and Draco rose as the women returned to the table, Draco moving to pull out Hermione’s chair.  “Honestly, you’re only nice to me, aren’t you?”

“Not true at all, Granger.  I’m nice to my Mother, and to Teddy.” He smirked and kissed her cheek. “But for you I’ll be pleasant.”

And then the flashes started.  The photographers had finagled uniforms to appear as waiters and had been able to catch the group unaware.

_Of bloody buggering course_ , Hermione thought. She braced herself.  This sort of thing had happened frequently after the war and she just never got used to it.  She felt Draco’s hand on her shoulder, he had leaned down to face her as she sat in her chair and was blocking the photographers with his body. “Can’t blame them really, I am exceptionally handsome.”

“I don’t want to be in the paper, the stories and . . . ”

“Oh I doubt they’ll mention you,” he gave her a playful smile and turned to the intruders.

Harry had stood as well, trying to get the photographers to leave.  Draco lazily approached and dropped his arm around Harry.

“WHA-“ was all Harry got out before Draco kissed him on the cheek and the camera flashes went crazy for a minute before the photographers apparated away.  As soon as they were gone he let Harry go and walked back to the table where Hermione was looking flabbergasted and Ginny was laughing.

“Do you know what you just- . . . They’re going to-“ Harry was sputtering.

“Give them something to do and they bugger off to do it.  It’ll go away in a day, Potter.” Draco waved his hand as if dismissing the whole thing.

“But, they’re going to think . . . “

“There’s only one person who matters,” he took Hermione’s hand, “And she knows who I fancy.” He kissed her knuckles, enjoying the smile of relief on her face. “Now, we might want to change venues for the evening because they will be returning.”

They ended up at a wonderful muggle restaurant having more fun than anyone could have ever expected.  Something fell into place for Hermione as she looked around the table.  As soon as it struck her she turned to Draco and blurted out “You’re going to marry me.”

He smiled, “Course I am, Granger.  You just had to make sure I knew that you knew, didn’t you?” He leaned in to kiss her.  “Know-it-all.  Would you like your ring now or after the very elaborate proposal I was planning for next week?”

“Now, please." she said breathlessly before adding, "But you must ask properly.”

Draco laughed as he dropped to one knee, pulling a small box from his pocket and opening it to reveal a sparkling diamond. “Hermione, I love you, will you do me the honor of becoming my wife?”

“Yes, yes I most certainly will.” She caught his face in her hands and pulled him into a kiss as he knelt before her. “I love you,” she whispered against his mouth before kissing him again.

“Cut the snogging!” Ginny demanded as she went around the table to embrace Hermione before turning to Draco, “Hurt her and I’ll hex you, Malfoy,” Ginny said as she hugged Draco as well.

“I take it that’s Weasley for ‘congratulations, I’m sure you’ll be very happy’ and all that rot.”

Harry came round the table as well, he looked at Hermione and Draco standing together and looking so happy, he knew he had never seen Hermione so consistently happy as he had since she started up with Malfoy. He offered Draco his hand, “She’s my best friend, Malfoy.  You’re a lucky bastard but you seem to know that.”

“Eloquent as ever, Potter,” Draco laughed, clapping Harry on the back.

Harry moved to hug Hermione, “I’m so glad you found someone who makes you so happy.  You deserve all the happiness in the world.”

“Thanks, Harry.” Hermione said, tears starting to fall from her eyes.

 


	13. thirteen

Hours later they were tangled together in her bed, her arms around him as he played with her hair and told her about his elaborate (and now unnecessary) proposal plans.  He could practically feel her mind working as he finished talking.

“Do your parents know?” She asked first.

“Yes, of course.  My Mother is thrilled; she helped me choose the ring from the family vault this afternoon, that’s why it was in my pocket.  My Father immediately started thinking of the business connections he might be able to make with ‘War Heroine Hermione Granger’ as his daughter-in-law, which is as close to thrilled as the old man is capable of.”

“And your Mother, she’s quite expert at organizing events I imagine?”

“She is.  What are you up to, Granger?”

“We could expand your proposal plans slightly to transform them into our wedding,” she looked up at him then, her lip between her teeth as if worried that he could possible deny her.

“You’ll marry me next week?! Granger, that’s BRILLIANT!”

“We’ll keep it to people we really want there, I’ll have Ginny stand up with me, and I’ll want some classmates, and Minerva and the Weasley’s, well not Ron I think, and of course we’ll have your Aunt and Teddy, I have some friends from work . . . “  She had shifted into planning mode.

“I’ll floo the Manor right now, let Mother know she’s got a project.”

Hermione sat up and twisted her hair into a bun on top of her head, “I’ll owl her a draft of the guest list in the morning,” as she summoned parchment and started writing. For once Hermione was grateful for Draco’s penchant for pulling strings.  She didn’t want to wait, she wanted to grab on to what they had and not waste a moment.

*

The wedding took place a week later. With Narcissa’s help it was perfect, elegant but still personal, and extremely exclusive.  They had been able to keep it a secret from any press partly because no one would have believed a Malfoy wedding could take place with such a small guest list. Additionally, more than half of the guests didn’t even know they were attending a wedding until they were escorted into the formal garden at the Manor to find it set up for the ceremony.

The week of planning brought Narcissa and Hermione closer, allowing them to discover a number of things they had in common not the least of which was the ability to organize the impossible.  It was this new intimacy that prompted Hermione to tell Draco that she might eventually consider moving in to the Manor.

Along with the wedding activities Narcissa also redecorated a few rooms, making sure the Manor was as inviting as possible for her new daughter-in-law.  She knew how much Hermione missed her family and thought it likely she would be made a Grandmother sooner rather than later, and she very much wanted them all to live together as the family grew.  She also so enjoyed watching Draco and Hermione together, and took great pride in realizing that her son took after her in his total devotion to his chosen partner.

*

Draco made it his life’s mission to be the husband Hermione deserved.  His wife meant everything to him. He respected her, argued with her as an equal, embraced her passions and listed to be sure he filled her needs.  She in turn was dedicated to him, repaying his love and devotion in kind.  Any doubts about the authenticity of their union were put to bed over the years by the evidence of their life together.

Many years later they stood on platform nine and three-quarters preparing to send their eldest child off to his first year at Hogwarts. Their two younger children were holding Draco’s hands as Hermione fussed over Scorpius while he squirmed, anxious to get to the train and find his older cousin Teddy.

Hermione looked near tears as she straightened and Draco told the younger two to wish their brother well at school before he pulled her into his arms and whispered, “If you want another I’m more than happy work on that with you this afternoon,” making her giggle and stopping the tears. He was kissing her behind the ear and making comments about the library when his eldest interrupted.

“UGH, people can SEE you,” Scorpius was sure he was the only person in the entire world to have such embarrassing parents. With that they gave him farewell kisses and hugs and sent him off to the train.  As they gathered the younger children Draco stopped, looking across the platform. Hermione noticed and followed his gaze to see Ron with Lavender and their daughter Rose, who was just a few years older than Scorpius.

While Lavender had never agreed to marry Ron they had worked together to raise their daughter.  Lavender’s husband Seamus stood nearby holding their own young daughter and talking with some of the other parents.  Lavender gave Hermione and Draco a friendly wave and went back to what she was doing before sending Rose off to the train and turning to join Seamus’ group in conversation.

Ron looked across the platform sadly, taking in Hermione and Draco and their two younger, blonde, curly haired children, both currently clamoring to ask Hermione questions about what Scorpius would do at school and wondering which house he would get and if he might be in the same one as their friend Lily.  Hermione, having made her peace long ago at Ron’s ill-fated almost-wedding, turned to talk to the children as Draco looked on.  He finally gave Ron a nod of acknowledgement before offering his wife an arm and leading his family away.

Ron stared sadly after them until he got a hard smack on the back of the head.

“OW!”

“Oh, shut it,” said his sister, Ginny Potter had never acquired patience in dealing with her brother’s ability to feel sorry for himself.

*

Later that day at the Manor the two youngest Malfoys found themselves confronted with locked doors when they tried to go into the library.  A great plan seemed to be taking shape 10 minutes later when Lucius Malfoy came upon them.

“What’s the meaning of all this?” He said as he took in the various implements the children had gathered in front of the door.

“Grandfather! The library is locked, and we think Mum and Dad are trapped inside.”

Lucius Malfoy gave a great, put-upon sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose. “Best come with me then, let’s all go find your Grandmother,” he offered a hand to each of the children and led them out to find his wife, thanking Merlin she had developed a spell many years ago to keep the library sealed whenever a Malfoy couple was engaged in amorous activities therein.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well that veered off in directions I didn't plan.
> 
> If anyone were ever interested in helping beta I think I could use the help.


End file.
